14-15 April 2018 // San Diego City College
Look! Up at the sky! It’s a bird. It’s a plane. It’s WordCamp! That’s right. WordCamp San Diego is officially back for 2020, and we’re bringing it to you with a bang. 💥
Plans for this year’s WordCamp are already in full swing. Our Call for Volunteers is currently open, and we’re also in search of excellent sponsors to help make our event San Diego’s best WordCamp yet.
You can learn more on our website at https://2020.sandiego.wordcamp.org/. We hope to see you there!
We are happy to report that WordCamp San Diego 2018 was a great success and the entire organizing team is thrilled with the overall outcome and so now it’s time to wrap this up.
This year we made it a priority to get feedback on the topics you were most interested in learning about, so that we could structure the tracks accordingly. WCSD 2018 covered a range of topics in Development, Design, Admin, Business and WordPress’s latest feature, Guttenberg, all with their own dedicated tracks.
We had a great lineup of speakers this year to help us tackle all aspects of WordPress, and want to extend our gratitude for the time they put into preparing for, and presenting at, our event. If you missed any of the talks, make sure to visit WordPress.tv as the presentations will be available soon.
WCSD is not possible without our sponsors. Not only did they support us with funding and in-kind donations, but many of them came out to network and share their expertise over the weekend. The sponsor room was alive with chatter and smiling faces – and the swag was plentiful! We hope you were able to take some time between tracks to meet some of our awesome sponsors and learn more about their services.
San Diego City College
Finding a venue for an event of this size in San Diego is challenging, especially with the need of multiple, simultaneous tracks, so we were excited when San Diego City College met our criteria. The staff was a pleasure to work with and very helpful in makng WCSD a success.
Wild Thyme Catering
Saturday’s lunch was provided by Wild Thyme Catering. They prepared a variety of fresh sandwiches and wraps for attendees. People spread out along the courtyard while networking to enjoy their delicious meal.
Wild Thyme also made sure to keep the coffee, tea and water flowing during our event. We know how important it is to stay caffeinated during a WordCamp, so we made sure that coffee was readily available at all times.
Chipotle
A full day of Camp learning would make anyone hungry and having burritos from Chipotle certainly gave attendees the extra energy they needed to make it through another round of tracks on Sunday.
Museum of Man
The after party was held in the heart of Balboa Park at The San Diego Museum of Man, which is housed in the California Building, originally built for the 1915 Panama-California Exposition. We were lucky to have the entire museum for our private event and the opportunity to visit the exhibits that were currently on display.
A nice selection of beer and wine was served, along with light appetizers from Luna Grill.
We hope you enjoyed WordCamp San Diego and have been inspired to create and do more with WordPress. Remember, there are a ton of ways to get involved.
Post-Camp Survey
Send us your feedback so we can make next year’s WCSD even better.
https://central.wordcamp.org/wordcamp-attendee-survey/
Meetups
The Advanced WordPress Meetup is held monthly in/around San Diego and is a developer-centric Meetup focused on sharing knowledge and ideas.
Contributing to WordPress
The Codex has a very detailed page explaining the different ways you can Contribute to WordPress. There are opportunities for everyone to get involved, whether or not coding is “your thing”. Some of the ways you could contribute include: writing documentation, helping others in the support forum, assisting with translations to other languages, putting your coding chops to use and participating in development, bug reporting, and more.
Volunteering Next Year
Interested in organizing or volunteering to help with WCSD 2019? Drop us a line at wordcampsd@gmail.com and we will reach out when planning for next year begins.
Thank You
YOU are the reason we continue to volunteer our time to organize this event year after year, and it is our sincere hope that you walked away with a bit of inspiration and some new friendships. You are the reason the WordPress community is so amazing.
We look forward to seeing you next year!
– WCSD 2018 Organizing Team
Hey recruits! We are looking forward to seeing you this weekend at #wcsd and want to share some helpful information to ensure you get the most out of your WordCamp weekend.
In case you didn’t know, all WordCamps are volunteer-run conferences organized by those in your local community and are committed to providing a friendly, safe and welcoming environment for all. Please reference the WordCamp Code of Conduct for details.
This is a great way to see who’s attending and make new friends.
Decide which sessions to attend ahead of time so you can plan lots of conversation time in the “networking track” where you can learn one-on-one.
Share quotes and comments you overhear throughout the weekend with #wcsd.
Registration begins at 7:45am. Come early for meeting cool people just like you. Opening remarks will start at 8:45am of the corresponding rooms for each track.
Have a specific question about using WordPress? Stop by the help bar which is staffed by volunteers from various backgrounds that will assist you with your WordPress site.
Due to how the buildings are structured at SDCC, the WiFi can be a little spotty, so please prepare accordingly in the event there is no connection or it’s slow.
The After Party will be held at San Diego Museum of Man, in the heart of Balboa Park. We’re lucky to have the entire venue for our WordCamp attendees from 7 – 11 PM. Be prepared to show proper ID if you would like an adult beverage and please, have your WCSD badge with you.
Join us for some great networking over coffee at 10am on Sunday, right before our keynote speaker, Dre Armeda takes the stand.
There’s plenty of parking nearby so make sure to check out where to park in advance.
Please give a big thank you to our sponsors, speakers, volunteers and organizers for all their efforts in making WordCamp San Diego great this year.
We have worked relentlessly for the past 8 months in the planning of WordCamp San Diego so that bloggers, designers, developers, authors, marketers, non-profits, photographers, consultants, entrepreneurs— the list goes on, can expand their knowledge in WordPress and meet others who share the same interests. We are excited to see it all come together this weekend and look forward to meeting new friends. When you see one of us around, feel free to give us a high-five, so we know how much you enjoyed Camp!
Kim is the owner and lead developer of Alpha Webworks. She enjoys building websites in WordPress and learning about the latest web trends and techniques. She attends the popular AWP Meetup group regularly, where there is always a topic of interest. Kim was an organizer for WCSD 2016 and 2017 and is honored to be back leading the team for 2018.
Away from the computer, you’ll find Kim planning a new route for her run club or attending a good play.
Devin Walker is the creator of several highly rated and award winning WordPress plugins. His work is actively being used by millions of websites and has been featured in Product Hunt, WP Tavern, Torque, and several other widely regarded online publications.
As an advocate for open source, Walker has given back extensively to the WordPress community in the form of code contributions, WordCamp and Meetup organization and speaking efforts, and fostering and supporting popular online groups like Advanced WordPress (AWP) and WordPress for Nonprofits.
As a business owner, Walker founded his WordPress company WordImpress and has grown it to a team of more than 15-employees within two years of incorporation. Popular plugins include GiveWP, the top-rated donation and fundraising platform for WordPress, WP Rollback, Google Maps Builder, Yelp Widget Pro and WooCommerce Quick Checkout.
Outside of work, Devin enjoys traveling the world, going to concerts, and a leisurely round of golf.
Mike is a Salt Lake City transplant to San Diego who has been working with WordPress since 2008. He is deeply involved in the WordPress Community, and loves to see WordPress used as more than a blogging platform. Currently, Mike is the Web Development Manager at VITRO, an organizer for the Advanced WordPress Meetup, and for WordCamp San Diego 2018.
Mandie Shaner is a “wearer of many hats” at ZenThree – a WordPress-centric website development and consulting shop based in San Diego, CA. Her team has been creatively solving problems and providing fully managed WordPress hosting for a decade, focusing on the needs of small and midsize businesses.
When she’s not WordPress-ing you can find her at our local Bitcoin Meetup.
Joel Williams is an England native, and now San Diego based Happiness Engineer at Automattic. He previously owned Blog Tech Guy for over seven years, one of the first WordPress.org customization services.
I am Trish Daugherty. I’ve been working in WordPress for many years now, but my background is in Graphic Design, including many years designing signage and wayfinding systems for hospitals and other large ‘campus’ and building systems. I have done some product development and lots of marketing related and branding along the way.
My current projects involve environmental issues, working with a group that is developing food and energy security. My job is the website and related marketing components of the projects, but I get to learn about things like Ultra High-Temperature Pyrolysis® (for waste-to-energy plants, where garbage, plastic, even toxic waste is safely converted to useful energy called Syngas) while doing so.
I look forward to meeting you at WordCamp in April. Contact me on Twitter (@trish_daugherty) if you want to connect before then!
AJ Zane has been building websites since the days before flash loading screens and you couldn’t expect your users to have “JavaScript Enabled” in their browsers.
Although his day-to-day no longer revolves around WordPress (he works as a Software Developer at Veyo Logistics, changing the way healthcare is provided for those who need it), he enjoys strengthening the community around WordPress through helping out with wordcamps, being an admin of the Advanced WordPress FaceBook group, and engaging with community.
Say hi to him on Twitter (@azanebrain), in the WordPress Slack group (also @azanebrain), or in person at a WordCamp.
In 2012 Chris spoke at her first WordCamp (right here in San Diego). Since then she’s spoken in San Diego, Orange County, Los Angeles, Chicago and Baltimore. She’s a project manager at Reaktiv Studios, a WordPress VIP partner, where she works with an extremely talented team of developers who make me look good 🙂
When she isn’t in Asana or reading up on the lastest productivity hacks she’s probably hanging out with her wife, dog, and guitar (and possibly a craft beer or three. It is San Diego.)
WordCamp is just a few short days away. We’re all very excited for the upcoming weekend and would like to thank this year’s Gold Sponsors for helping make this WordCamp a reality.
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WordCamp wouldn’t be possible without the generous support of our sponsors. We’d like to take a moment and turn the spotlight to our Silver sponsors. Thank you!
Make sure you say “Hi” to the following companies at WordCamp San Diego 2018. It’s because of them we enjoy low ticket prices, great speakers, swag, t-shirts, all those goodies!
Since 1997 DreamHost has helped individuals, small businesses, entrepreneurs, and developers worldwide bring their dreams to life on the Internet. A leader in Managed WordPress hosting, over 400,000 customers trust DreamHost to be their online home. Supporting the open source community with dedicated resources and a passionate team, DreamHost believes in the power of the Open Web and the people that make it happen. Learn more at DreamHost.com.
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Give is proud to sponsor WordCamp San Diego 2018. We are based in San Diego, California and we believe it’s important to promote WordPress in our hometown. Give is the most flexible, robust, and easy to use WordPress plugin for accepting donations directly on your website. Upon activation, Give provides you with powerful fundraising features for your Cause.
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WordCamps wouldn’t be possible without the help from generous sponsors. Make sure you take some time to check them out at WordCamp! Without their support we wouldn’t be able to keep the event low cost and accessible to everyone. Thank you!
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In case you have been wondering about parking, there’s plenty of it!
Free parking for WordCamp San Diego is at the following structure and lots.
There is also plenty of free on-street parking.
If you’re taking the trolley, the closest stop is the City College Station.
Join us on Saturday evening following WordCamp at the famous San Diego Museum of Man, in the heart of Balboa Park. The Museum is housed in the California Building, originally built for the 1915 Panama-California Exposition. We’re lucky to have the entire venue for our WordCamp attendees from 7 – 11 PM.
We will have some light appetizers at the after party, but we recommend stopping somewhere in beautiful San Diego for something more substantial before the event.
Location and parking details for the San Diego Museum of Man are below. Please be sure to bring your WCSD badge for entry – we will not be able to accommodate any +1’s for this event, so you must have a WCSD weekend badge to attend the after party. We are looking forward to unwinding after a wonderful, exciting WordCamp day with you! See you all there.
San Diego Museum of Man
1350 El Prado
San Diego, CA 92101
PARKING
Parking can be a challenge in this area on a Saturday night and the parking lots are not close to the museum and will require a 10 minute walk, so we highly recommend using Uber or Lyft.
If you plan on driving to the San Diego Museum of Man, the closest place to park is on Balboa Drive or Sixth Avenue on the west side of the Cabrillo Bridge, just off of Laurel Street.
Coming from the west, Laurel Street changes to El Prado as it enters Balboa Park across the historic Cabrillo Bridge. The San Diego Museum of Man is in the California Building, a San Diego landmark with its tower and tiled dome, located at the east end of Cabrillo Bridge at the entrance to Balboa Park.
There is also abundant parking in other parts of the park, such as Inspiration Point, behind Spreckel’s Organ Pavilion, east of the Hall of Champions, and in front of the San Diego Air & Space Museum. Those parking lots are accessible by entering the park via Park Boulevard.
This year’s keynote speaker, Dre Armeda, is one of the original organizers of WCSD and has been pivotal in growing the WordPress community in Southern California.
When the WCSD organizers were brainstorming a solid choice for this year’s keynote the first name that came to mind was Dre Armeda. He has been an inspiration to us all and his encouragement has ensured many years of successful WordCamps in San Diego after his departure as one of the original organizers.
Dre Armeda, is a veteran who has lead his country forward and now heads and directs all enterprise sales and partnership efforts for Sucuri Security at GoDaddy.
The company he helped co-found, Sucuri, is a globally-recognized and trusted website security brand. They are known for their technology, research and customer service. Armeda has been pivotal in the growth and success of the company.
The insights and tips he will present within the keynote will be relevant to all those in the WordPress Community from the beginner and freelancer to successful agency or product business owner.
Dre Armeda, veteran and successful businessman, will give WordCamp San Diego’s keynote talk on Sunday April 15th at 11:00am. This talk will allow you to not only listen to his experiences, but also dive into your own, as you experience your own transition.
In his words:
“I want to bridge stories about my military career, how that was a foundation of learning and persistence, and how it lead me to my experiences in business, entrepreneurship and so on. Embracing change and understanding pivots are necessary.”
We encourage all attendees to come on Sunday to experience this one of a kind keynote.
His keynote is at 11am, Sunday April 15th and will be 30 minutes long with room for a Q/A session after. This is an excellent opportunity for you to meet a successful business owner and a well esteemed veteran from our local Souther California community.
We expect standing room only for this keynote so please show up early if you want a good seat. We’ll be sure to have plenty of coffee and snacks to keep you fully fueled throughout the day.
See you Sunday for Dre Armeda’s keynote!
WordCamp San Diego 2018 is over. Check out the next edition!